Camera platform for 3-D photography

ABSTRACT

A camera platform for three dimensional photography comprises a first support wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and a fastening end, and a second support wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and a fastening end. The first and second support walls are connected to each other along at least a part of their respective fastening ends so as to be substantially at right angles to each other. The inner surface of the first support wall and the inner surface of the second support wall define a quadrant. A fixed camera connector is formed on the outer surface of the first support wall for connecting to a first camera, and an adjustable camera connector is formed on the outer surface of the second support wall for connecting to a second camera. A beam splitter support frame is provided for holding a beam splitter, and the beam splitter support frame is located outside the quadrant between the outer surface of the first support wall and the outer surface of the second support wall.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/128,692 filed May 23, 2008, the subject matter ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a camera platform useful in the context ofthree-dimensional photography. More particularly, the invention in oneaspect is for a camera platform designed for use in three-dimensionalphotography, the platform being both compact and rigid.

Traditional three dimensional (3-D) camera platforms which use a beamsplitter to split the incoming image are typically comprised of two mainsupport plates positioned at generally 90 degrees to one another. One ofthe support plates may be vertical while the other may be horizontal, orat right angles thereto. Each one of the main support plates willtypically hold one of the two cameras used. These two support platescomprise and generally define the overall height and length of the 3-Dcamera platform in the sense that the cameras are mostly accommodatedand contained within the space or quadrant which is defined by these twomain support plates.

The two main support plates meet at a common edge where they areconnected to each other and edge also this creates the base structure ofthe beam splitter support box. The support box holds the beam splitterat the required angle and position. Since the two main supportstructures or plates that support the cameras are usually connected toone another at a point relatively far away from the mounting area of thecameras themselves, a significant amount of material as well as externalgusseting or other type of reinforcement is required to make the camerasrigid or substantially fixed with respect to one another.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a cameraplatform for three dimensional photography comprising: a first supportwall having an inner surface, an outer surface and a fastening end; asecond support wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and afastening end, the first and second support walls being connected toeach other along at least a part of their respective fastening ends soas to be substantially at right angles to each other, and the innersurface of the first support wall and the inner surface of the secondsupport wall define a quadrant; a fixed camera connector on the outersurface of the first support wall for connecting to a first camera; anadjustable camera connector on the outer surface of the second supportwall for connecting to a second camera; and a beam splitter supportframe for holding a beam splitter, the beam splitter support frame beinglocated outside the quadrant between the outer surface of the firstsupport wall and the outer surface of the second support wall.

In one embodiment, the invention further comprises a first cameraconnected to the fixed camera connector and a second camera connected tothe adjustable camera connector.

Preferably, the fixed camera connector and the adjustable cameraconnector are positioned on the first and second support wallsrespectively such that when first and second cameras are connectedthereto, a line of sight of the first camera will be perpendicular to aline of sight of the second camera.

The camera platform may further comprises at least one gusset betweenthe first support wall and the second support wall, the gusset providingadditional rigidity and stiffness between the first and second supportwalls.

Preferably, the camera platform as claimed further comprises a beamsplitter mounted in the beam splitter support frame. The beam splitteris preferably mounted in the beam splitter support frame, the beamsplitter being positioned between an image to be captured by the firstand second cameras, the beam splitter partially reflecting the image toeither the first or second camera and partially transmitting the imageto either the second or first camera. In one form, the beam splitterreflects about 50% of the image to be captured to the first camera andtransmits about 50% of the image to be captured to the second camera.

The fixed camera connector may comprise apertures and hardware on or inthe first support wall for releasably mounting a camera to the outersurface of the first support wall.

The adjustable camera connector may comprise a fixed track on the outersurface of the second support wall and a movable linear bearingassociated with the fixed track and movable with respect to the fixedtrack, the second camera being connectable to the linear bearing. Thefixed track may comprise a pair of parallel rails and the linear bearingmay comprise a pair of recesses, the rails being received in therecesses in the linear bearing.

Preferably, the camera platform further comprises a drive motor formoving the linear bearing along the fixed to track to a desired positionthereon. The drive motor may drive a circular gear, and the linearbearing may have a geared section. The circular gear will engage thegeared section of the linear bearing such that rotation of the circulargear by the drive motor moves the linear bearing linearly to a selectedposition where the camera may be desired.

In one form, the beam splitter is comprised of a semi-silvered waterwhite material.

Preferably, the fixed camera connector and first camera connectedthereto are positioned adjacent to the fastening ends of the first andsecond support walls, and the adjustable camera connector and secondcamera connected thereto are also positioned adjacent to the fasteningends of the first and second support walls.

In one embodiment, the beam splitter support frame comprises a verticalcomponent substantially parallel to the vertical support wall and ahorizontal component substantially parallel to the horizontal supportwall, the beam splitter support frame having a first fastening bracketon the vertical component and a second fastening bracket on thehorizontal component, the first and second fastening brackets beinglocated and configured to receive the beam splitter so that the beamsplitter will be at substantially a 45 degree angle with respect to thehorizontal component and the vertical component.

In another form, the camera platform further comprises at least one loadbearing side wall to provide strength to the camera platform.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodof constructing a camera platform for use in three dimensionalphotography, the method comprising: providing a first support wallhaving an inner surface, an outer surface and a fastening end;connecting a second support wall to the first support wall, the secondsupport wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and a fasteningend, the first and second support walls being connected to each otheralong at least a part of their respective fastening ends so as to besubstantially at right angles to each other, and the inner surface ofthe first support wall and the inner surface of the second support walldefine a quadrant; mounting a fixed camera connector on the outersurface of the first support wall for connecting to a first camera;mounting an adjustable camera connector on the outer surface of thesecond support wall for connecting to a second camera; and locating abeam splitter support frame for holding a beam splitter on either one orboth of the first support wall and the second support wall, the beamsplitter support frame being located outside the quadrant and betweenthe outer surface of the first support wall and the outer surface of thesecond support wall.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of capturing images using a camera platform for three dimensionalphotography comprising: mounting a first fixed camera on an outersurface of a first support wall having an inner surface, an outersurface and a fastening end; mounting a second movable camera on anouter surface a second support wall having an inner surface, an outersurface and a fastening end, the first and second support walls beingconnected to each other along at least a part of their respectivefastening ends so as to be substantially at right angles to each other,and the inner surface of the first support wall and the inner surface ofthe second support wall define a quadrant; positioning a beam splittersupport frame and a beam splitter between the line of sight of the firstand second cameras, both the beam splitter support frame and beamsplitter being located outside the quadrant and between the outersurface of the first support wall and the outer surface of the secondsupport wall, wherein the beam splitter partially transmits an image tobe captured to one of the first and second cameras, and partiallyreflects an image to be captured to one of the second and first cameras;and moving the movable camera to a desired position to achieve thetargeted stereoscopic three dimensional effect.

Preferably, the beam splitter transmits about 50% of the image to becaptured and reflects about 50% of the image to be captured.

In one important aspect, therefore, the invention is for a cameraplatform upon which is mounted two or dual cameras, the cameras beingpositioned relative to each other so as to achieve a three-dimensionaleffect. Typically, such camera platforms of the invention have a beamsplitter positioned optically between the two mounted cameras, to splitthe incoming image and direct it toward both of the cameras mounted onthe camera support. Fine adjustment of the relative positions of thecameras can be made to achieve the desired precise stereoscopic effect.

Compactness is clearly an advantage to a camera operator, especiallywhen coupled with light weight and ease of operation, since operatorsare often in challenging environments and cramped for space. Moreover,the compactness and light weight characteristics should preferably notcompromise the rigidity of the camera platform or support, and this isparticularly important in three dimensional photography, sinceresilience or relative displacement of different portions of the supportplatform may move the cameras mounted on the platforms relative to eachother resulting in unacceptable images.

As such, the present invention in one embodiment provides for a cameraplatform useful for three-dimensional photography and which is capableof receiving and holding dual cameras, the camera platform beingconfigured for compactness, strength, rigidity and light weight.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided athree-dimensional camera platform comprising a first support for holdinga first camera which is fixed relative to the first support, a secondsupport for holding a second camera which can be selectively movedrelative to the second support and fixed in position on the secondsupport, and a beam splitter mounted on a frame forming a part of thecamera platform.

Preferably, the first support is generally planar and has peripheraledges, an inside surface and an outside surface, and the second supportis generally planar and has peripheral edges, an inside surface and anoutside surface. The first and second supports are mounted atsubstantially right angles with respect to each other, and preferablyconnected along one of their common edges. When so connected, the insidesurface of the first support and the inside surface of the secondsupport generally define a quadrant. Preferably, the first camera ismounted on the outside surface of the first support and the secondcamera is mounted on the outside surface of the second support.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second supports have suitableapertures and/or mounting hardware for releasably mounting the first andsecond cameras thereto.

Preferably, a linear bearing is mounted on the second support and thesecond camera is attached releasably to the linear bearing. A drivemotor selectively drives or moves the linear bearing, and the secondcamera when mounted thereon, in a linear pathway so that the secondcamera can be positioned at the desired location to achieve thenecessary three-dimensional stereoscopic effect. The drive motor may beconnected to the linear bearing by means of a gear arrangement,preferably but not necessarily a circular gear on the motor and a lineargear on the linear, bearing.

The frame may be mounted on or integral with either one of the first orsecond supports, or indeed both of these supports. The beam splitter ispreferably mounted on the frame or on one or both of the supports in thequadrant opposite to that defined by the inner surfaces of the first andsecond supports of the platform respectively.

The camera platform of the invention will preferably hold the first andsecond cameras relative to each other such that the lens of one camerais directed vertically when the lens of the other camera is directedhorizontally. The beam splitter will be positioned optically between therespective lenses. In a preferred embodiment, the beam splitter ispositioned in the line of sight of the first camera as well as the lineof sight of the second camera. The movable camera can be offset at thedesired distance from the fixed camera to achieve the targetedthree-dimensional effect chosen by the operator.

The camera platform of the present invention preferably has a centralsupport that is comprised of a single right angle structure thatoccupies the space between the vertical and horizontal camera positionsrather than the wrapping around the external boundary of the twocameras. This arrangement makes possible the construction of asignificantly smaller system than the traditional arrangement. The beamsplitter is constrained by a skeletal structure that is tied to thecentral camera support by two shear walls on the left side and rightside of the 3-D camera platform. This feature may make the platformsomewhat more rigid, the same time preferably using less material thanthat used in the traditional platform construction.

Since the precise optical line-up and control of the two LOS (lines ofsight) of the first and second cameras is essential to the effectivecapture of stereo pairs of images, rigidity in construction becomes oneof the most important features of a 3-D camera platform. There are atleast two principal areas or situations where mechanical compliance orthe lack of rigidity between the first camera and the second camera,when both are mounted on the platform, may result in the compromise ofthe effect of the stereo pairs of images captured by the first andsecond cameras respectively. Two of these situations are discussed belowand are as follows:

(a) A first situation occurs when the platform is operated in a verydynamic environment, such as a camera car or other vehicle travelingover uneven terrain, possibly at high speeds. This situation subjectsthe platforms to varying positive and negative gravitational loads whichmay cause any part of the camera platform, which will be of sufficientmass, to flex or twist with respect to the rest of the system. Normally,it is flexing or deforming of the camera platform whereby one cameratwists with respect to the other which causes relative movement betweenthe first and second cameras and thus destroys the otherwise preciseoptical alignment between the cameras.

(b) A second situation occurs when the camera platform operator actuatesthe servo control to adjust or change the inter-axial spacing betweenthe first and the second cameras during the shot to vary the amount ofdepth or stereo effect for editorial effect. When there is insufficientmechanical structure or reinforcement to constrain or limit the line ofsight of the moving camera relative to the set line of sight of thefixed camera, the servo is able to reposition the line of sight to thecorrect setting in a single axis only. The result may be that the lineof sight of the moving camera is momentarily displaced angularly,thereby disrupting the stereo effect produced by the precise relativelocations of the first and second cameras, until the moving camera hasstopped and settled back into its aligned set position for achieving thedesired stereo effect.

Regardless of how or why the two cameras are momentarily interruptedfrom capturing precise stereo pairs, the consequence on the productionbudget is usually the same. The shot must either be recreated under morebenign conditions or significant time and money must be spent inpost-production tracking and realigning the images. If the images arenot re-shot or repaired, the audience or viewers of the images, ifsubjected to enough of these misaligned shots, may complain of eyestrain and headaches.

Making a system rigid enough normally comes at the expense of making thesystem lightweight. But of course the system needs to be light enough sothat it can be supported and moved by traditional film making supportequipment designed for conventional and two-dimensional cameras. Onceenough material or structure has been removed to satisfy the weightrequirement, the camera platform may be too flexible or resilient to beused effectively on a moving vehicle or platform. It may also be tooflexible to allow inter-axial changes to be made to the movable cameraon the platform to vary the stereo effect which may need to be effectedduring a shot, and this is an important and desirable tool which couldbe available to a film director to create the type of effect beingsought. The camera platform of the present invention thus offers notonly a rigid construction, but one which is also preferably lightweightand stiffer when compared to many traditional systems providingplatforms for dual cameras used in this type of setting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings attached to this specification:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a traditional or conventional typedual camera platform, in which it can be seen that the two cameras aremounted substantially within the space defined by the vertical andhorizontal plates and the reinforcing side plates, the beam splitterbeing located therebetween;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the camera platform as shown inFIG. 1 of the drawings, with the two cameras mounted thereon;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the traditional camera platform shown in FIGS.1 and 2 of the drawings;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a camera platformconstructed and configured in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the camera platform in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear end view of the camera platform of the invention,showing clearly the mounting of the movable camera and its associatedlinear bearing and drive motor;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the camera platform shown in FIG. 4 of thedrawings;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section of the camera platform of the invention takenalong line A-A in FIG. 7 of the drawings;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the camera platform of the invention as shownin FIG. 4 of the drawings;

FIG. 10 is a top view showing details of the structure of the cameraplatform in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing details of the structure of the cameraplatform in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a back view showing details of the structure of the cameraplatform in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings which show atraditional type camera platform as well as various embodiments andfeatures of a camera platform in accordance with the present invention.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown generally atraditional camera mount or platform which has been used for mounting apair or dual cameras for the purpose of capturing three dimensional typeimages. Only the general features and structure of the traditionalcamera mount 10 are shown in the drawings. These figures show a cameraplatform 10 which supports a first generally horizontal camera 12 and asecond generally vertical camera 14. The cameras 12 and 14 are mountedat right angles or 90 degrees with respect to each other.

The camera platform 10 comprises a base or horizontal support wall 16and a vertical support wall 18 at right angles thereto. The base supportwall 16 has a front edge 20 and the vertical support wall 18 has a loweredge 22 and the support walls 16 and 18 are fastened or connected toeach other along their front edge 20 and lower edge 22 respectively. Abracket or gusset 24 is provided at least one end of the camera platform10 to provide strength or stiffness between the base support wall 16 andthe vertical support wall 18 of the camera platform 10. This isnecessary to minimize the amount of undesirable movement which may takeplace between the cameras 12 and 14 when the camera platform is subjectto forces or torque in the course of filming. As mentioned above, suchrelative movement between the cameras 12 and 14 may cause an image whichis defective or inadequate and may need to be retaken or later edited,both time consuming and expensive procedures, and neither of which maycompletely cure the problem caused by this relative movement between thecameras.

Each of the cameras 12 and 14 comprises a body 26 and lens 28, as shown.The body 26 of each of the cameras 12 and 14 is connected to either thebase wall 16 or the vertical wall 18. Usually, one of the cameras willbe fixed to its support wall while the other will be movable to selectedpositions on its support wall in order to achieve the desiredstereoscopic three dimensional effect.

A beam splitter 30 is provided on the camera platform 10 and ispositioned so as to be in the line of sight of both cameras 12 and 14.The beam splitter 30 has one end attached at generally the front edge 20and lower edge 22 and extended into the quadrant 32 defined by thesupport walls 16 and 18. The support walls 16 and 18 are substantiallyat right angles to each other. The beam splitter 30 is mounted at a 45degree angle between the support walls 16 and 18. The beam splitter 30is a 50/50 beam splitter, providing about 50% light transmission and 50%light reflectance.

The camera platform provides a field of view. Light enters from thefield of view 34 and passes through an aperture 36 in the verticalsupport wall 16. About 50% of the light passes through the beam splitter30 and is captured as an image by the horizontal camera 12, while about50% of the light is reflected by the beam splitter 30 and is captured asan image by the vertical camera 14. The cameras 12 and 14 are offsetfrom each other by selectively adjusting the position of one of thecameras, and the slightly different or offset images from the twocameras 12 and 14 represents left or right eye viewing respectively,thereby providing the three dimensional stereoscopic effect.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 to 12 of the drawings which shows acamera platform configured and constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

As seen for example in FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown a cameraplatform 100 in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. Thecamera platform 100 has mounted thereon a first fixed camera 112 and asecond movable camera 114.

The camera platform 100 is made up of two main components. There is agenerally horizontal support plate 116 and attached thereto a generallyvertical support plate 118. The horizontal support plate 116 has aforward edge 120 and the vertical support plate 118 has a lower edge122. The support plates 116 and 118 and suitably and connected to eachother in a rigid manner along a join 124 where the forward edge 120 ofthe support plate 116 and the lower edge 122 of the support plate 118meet. As will described in further detail below, the movable camera 114is adjustably mounted on the horizontal support plate 116 while thefixed camera 112 is mounted on the vertical support plate 118. Eachcamera 112 and 114 has a body portion 128 and a lens portion 130.

The horizontal support wall 116 and the vertical support wall 118 eachhave an inner surface 136 and 138 respectively and these together definea quadrant 134. Further, the horizontal support wall 116 and thevertical support wall 118 each have an outer surface 140 and 142respectively and these together define the remaining three quadrants146. The camera 112 is attached to the outer surface 142 of the verticalsupport wall 118, while the camera 114 is attached to the outer surface140 of the horizontal support wall 116. This arrangement of the cameras112 and 114 on the camera platform 100 provides the invention withconsiderable flexibility and advantages. The cameras 112 and 114 are nolonger confined in the quadrant 134, as was the case with conventionalcamera platforms. Further, the camera can be attached much nearer thejoin 124 between the support walls 116 and 118 and this facilitatesadditional rigidity and stiffness to reduce relative camera movementduring shooting. As will be described below, this configuration alsoopens up greater control and better assembly of the motors, gears andother components used to move the movable camera to the desired locationto achieve the target three dimensional effect. Yet another advantage ofthis construction is that apertures are not need in the support walls toallow images from the line of sight to reach the lens. This means thatthe camera platform can be constructed of lighter, thinner materialswithout compromising rigidity, stiffness and strength.

A beam splitter support frame 150 is provided and supported by thesupport walls 116 and/or 118. The beam splitter support frame 150comprises a base member 152 having an outer end 154. A clamp bracket 156bracket is positioned more or less diametrically opposite the outer end154. A bean splitter 160 is fastened, preferably in a releasable manner,between the outer end 154 and the clamp bracket 156. The beam splitter160 is at 45 degrees to the base member 152 and is positioned betweenthe lenses 130 of the two cameras 112 and 114 such that about 50% of theincoming image is reflected to be captured by the camera 112 while about50% of the incoming image is transmitted through the beam splitter 160to be captured by the camera 114.

The beam splitter 160 may be comprised of any suitable material, oneexample of which is semi-silvered water white material.

It will be seen, for example in FIG. 9 of the drawings, that the fieldof view 162 present an image which reaches the beam splitter 160substantially unobstructed so that the beam splitter 160 can bothreflect and transmit the image to the respective cameras 112 and 114respectively as already described above.

As mentioned, the camera 114 is capable of being moved and its positioncan thus be adjusted to achieve the targeted three dimensionalstereoscope effect. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the camera114 is moved by a drive motor 170.

The support wall 116 has on the outer surface 140 thereof a track 172upon which is slidably mounted a linear bearing 174. The camera 114itself is mounted on the linear bearing 174 and is thus movable relativeto the support wall 116. The drive motor 170 is mounted on the innersurface 136 of the support wall 116 and has a circular gear 176 whichengages with a linear gear 178 on the linear bearing 174 in a rack andpinion type configuration. Rotational motion of the circular gear 176 onthe linear gear 178 converts rotational movement into linear movement,so that activation of the servo motor 170 has the effect of moving themovable camera 114 to adjust the stereoscopic effect of the combinedcameras 112 and 114 to create the desired three-dimensional effect. Theincoming image represented by the field of view enclosure 162 falls onthe beam splitter 160 and about 50% thereof is transmitted through thebeam splitter 160 and captured as an image in the camera 114 while about50% thereof is reflected by the beam splitter 160 and is diverted to thecamera 112. The drive motor 170, track 172 and linear bearing 178 incombination can be activated and adjusted to achieve appropriate lineardisplacement of the movable camera 114 this producing the desired threedimensional effect.

The camera platform 100 also has side walls or gussets 180 effectivelybetween the support wall 116 and the support wall 118, and this bracket180 helps to impart rigidity and inflexibility to the camera platform100. This is most important since, a already mentioned above, anytwisting or relative movement of components of the camera platform 100will affect the relative positions of the cameras 112 and 114 and thisin turn impacts the stereo effect of the image being captured by thecameras to detrimental effect.

Appropriate mountings 184 and apertures 186 are provided on the cameraplatform 100 mainly in the horizontal and vertical support wall 116 and118 for the fastening and connection of hardware such as the linearbearing, motor, cameras and other accessories.

An important feature of one embodiment of the invention is the fact thatthe cameras 112 and 114 are mounted not in the quadrant space 134defined by the camera support walls 116 and 118 but rather in the space146 outside of this quadrant 134. The advantage of such a featurebecomes evident when the embodiments of the invention illustrated in,for example, FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, are compared with thetraditional more conventional camera platform as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 of the drawings. Some other benefits and advantages of thisconfiguration have already been mentioned above. This constructiontherefore facilitates a compact, lightweight, rigid, convenient to usecamera platform 100, which also allows easy attachment and removal ofhardware.

This structure also allows for a smaller footprint of the cameraplatform 100, more rigid connections, camera connections closer to thejoin 124 between the support walls 116 and 118, and the more stablemounting of the beam splitter 160 on the camera platform 160.

The invention is not limited to the precise details described above andmany variations and different embodiments may be provided within thescope of the invention.

1. A camera platform for three dimensional photography comprising: afirst support wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and afastening end; a second support wall having an inner surface, an outersurface and a fastening end, the first and second support walls beingconnected to each other along at least a part of their respectivefastening ends so as to be substantially at right angles to each other,and the inner surface of the first support wall and the inner surface ofthe second support wall define a quadrant; a fixed camera connector onthe outer surface of the first support wall for connecting to a firstcamera; an adjustable camera connector on the outer surface of thesecond support wall for connecting to a second camera, the adjustablecamera connector comprising a fixed track on the outer surface of thesecond support wall and a movable linear bearing associated with thefixed track and movable with respect to the fixed track, the secondcamera being connectable to the linear bearing, the fixed trackcomprising a pair of parallel rails and the linear bearing comprises apair of recesses, the rails being received in the recesses in the linearbearing; and a beam splitter support frame for holding a beam splitter,the beam splitter support frame being located outside the quadrantbetween the outer surface of the first support wall and the outersurface of the second support wall.
 2. A camera platform as claimed inclaim 1 further comprising a first camera connected to the fixed cameraconnector and a second camera connected to the adjustable cameraconnector.
 3. A camera platform as claimed in claim 2 further comprisinga beam splitter mounted in the beam splitter support frame, the beamsplitter being positioned between an image to be captured by the firstand second cameras, the beam splitter partially reflecting the image toeither the first or second camera and partially transmitting the imageto either the second or first camera.
 4. A camera platform as claimed inclaim 3 wherein the beam splitter reflects about 50% of the image to becaptured to the first camera and transmits about 50% of the image to becaptured to the second camera.
 5. A camera platform as claimed in claim3 wherein the beam splitter is comprised of a semi-silvered water whitematerial.
 6. A camera platform as claimed in claim 2 wherein the fixedcamera connector and first camera connected thereto are positionedadjacent to the fastening ends of the first and second support walls. 7.A camera platform as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adjustable cameraconnector and second camera connected thereto are positioned adjacent tothe fastening ends of the first and second support walls.
 8. A cameraplatform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fixed camera connector andthe adjustable camera connector are positioned on the first and secondsupport walls respectively such that when first and second cameras areconnected thereto, a line of sight of the first camera will beperpendicular to a line of sight of the second camera.
 9. A cameraplatform as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one gussetbetween the first support wall and the second support wall, the gussetproviding additional rigidity and stiffness between the first and secondsupport walls.
 10. A camera platform as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising a beam splitter mounted in the beam splitter support frame.11. A camera platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fixed cameraconnector comprises apertures and hardware on or in the first supportwall for releasably mounting a camera to the outer surface of the firstsupport wall.
 12. A camera platform as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising a drive motor for moving the linear bearing along the fixedto track to a desired position thereon.
 13. A camera platform as claimedin claim 12 wherein the drive motor drives a circular gear, the linearbearing has a geared section, and the circular gear engages the gearedsection of the linear bearing such that rotation of the circular gear bythe drive motor moves the linear bearing linearly to a selectedposition.
 14. A camera platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the beamsplitter support frame comprises a vertical component substantiallyparallel to the vertical support wall and a horizontal componentsubstantially parallel to the horizontal support wall, the beam splittersupport frame having a first fastening bracket on the vertical componentand a second fastening bracket on the horizontal component, the firstand second fastening brackets being located and configured to receivethe beam splitter so that the beam splitter will be at substantially a45 degree angle with respect to the horizontal component and thevertical component.
 15. A camera platform as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising at least one load bearing side wall to provide strength tothe camera platform.
 16. A camera platform for three dimensionalphotography comprising: a first support wall having an inner surface, anouter surface and a fastening end; a second support wall having an innersurface, an outer surface and a fastening end, the first and secondsupport walls being connected to each other along at least a part oftheir respective fastening ends so as to be substantially at rightangles to each other, and the inner surface of the first support walland the inner surface of the second support wall define a quadrant; afixed camera connector on the outer surface of the first support wallfor connecting to a first camera; an adjustable camera connector on theouter surface of the second support wall for connecting to a secondcamera; a beam splitter support frame for holding a beam splitter, thebeam splitter support frame being located outside the quadrant betweenthe outer surface of the first support wall and the outer surface of thesecond support wall; and the beam splitter support frame comprises avertical component substantially parallel to the vertical support walland a horizontal component substantially parallel to the horizontalsupport wall, the beam splitter support frame having a first fasteningbracket on the vertical component and a second fastening bracket on thehorizontal component, the first and second fastening brackets beinglocated and configured to receive the beam splitter so that the beamsplitter will be at substantially a 45 degree angle with respect to thehorizontal component and the vertical component.